Finns are generally considered rather conservative, but there’s no disputing that they are the world’s reining champions of bizarre sporting events. During each summer, the Finns sit on anthills, hurl mobile phones, play air guitar and carry their wives in an effort to be the best at something.
MSNBC reports that most Finns will tell you their crazy sports are just a fun way to blow off steam after the long dark winters. But the number of foreign visitors travelling to Finland each year is growing by around six percent, and these eccentric competitions are turning out to be a popular draw for local tourism.
Some 50 different events take place over the three months of summer. They are often billed, half-jokingly, as world championships. But the most popular ones, such as the wife carrying obstacle course race, or the air guitar championships, attract up to 10,000 spectators. Another hugely popular event, swamp soccer, has even prompted other countries to hold their own competitions to see who will represent their nation in Finland.
The tourism benefits of these events are potentially huge for remote rural communities, and often tie into traditional annual festivals. Sometimes, they become so popular that authorities have to shut them down. The annual beer float, whose humble roots involved a few Finns floating down a river in tubes, drinking beer, attracted more than 1,400 participants this year. The number of floating boats, sofas and water scooters was so chaotic that local police forced organisers to shut down the web site advertising the event over safety concerns.
Hi,
Julia Gavin I would really like to talk to you.
My name is David Taylor and I am a Content and Talent Researcher for Guinness World Records. My role is to find exciting, quirky and interesting new people to attempt new world records.
You sound like just the kind of adventurous person we are looking for from reading your post. Where are you from and what events have you been to around the world? Do you have any special talents or quirks?
I would really like it if you could get back to me at david.taylor@guinnessworldrecords.com.
Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
David
An email received by IceNews:
hello! did you write the article about finnish tourism?
my name is julia galvin and i compete at these strange world championships/ competitions around the world. they are always held in tiny villages.
i go to the world bog snorkelling race in the uk’s smallest town, i have also bog snorkelled in australia . i have been to wife carrying races in finland, australia, estonia and ireland…i have always wondered why iceland has never competed in these races as i am sure you have strong men . and plenty of bogs/swamps for swimming in! i have helped to market these tiny towns…the australian bog snorkelling organisation did an impact report and said that i was worth 200000 australian dollars in advertising. i have seen tiny towns triple in size with these strange competitions. i hope you are the journalist that wrote the article if not i’m very sorry for bothering you.
julia